How To Identify And Eliminate Planaria Flatworms Inside The Aquarium

Looking at unusual and freaky creatures stuck to the tank glass, appearing without permission, makes us feel upset. Because it could be a parasite that can harm our pets or plants. One little bugger that makes many hobbyists frustrated is the planaria flatworm. It can bring many problems inside the planted tank.

The presence of these creatures can also be an indicator of the water quality in your tank. However, they can also be introduced into your tank due to unrecognized mistakes.

There are many factors that contribute to their emergence and success, ultimately providing a poor experience for the tank owner in managing their hobby.

On this occasion, we provide this content to anyone who has a problem with this pest or needs more information about it to protect their tank. Let’s begin to read.

What Are Planaria Flatworms In The Freshwater Aquarium?

Planaria (or planarian as a single form) are a member of the flatworm types (turbellaria) that belong to the ancient Platyhelminthes phylum. The creatures in this group are distinct, and their characteristics are unique.

Turbellaria is distributed across many areas of the world, inhabiting marine, freshwater, and even terrestrial environments.

The planaria name is commonly used for free-living flatworms from the order Tricladida (triclads), but it also represents the largest number of free-living Platyhelminthes members.

Triclads worms consist of three suborders based on their phylogenetic relationship, including Cavernicola, Continenticola, and Mariacola. Previously, this order was divided according to their habitat, following the classification of Paludicola as a freshwater form, Mariocola as a saltwater type, and Terricola as a land-dwelling type.

Unfortunately, it is not a new matter that planaria flatworms can be discovered in tropical or saltwater aquariums and become a nuisance for most aquarists. Many people believe the terrible overfeeding practice is the common reason why they arise in the tank.

Planarian Worms Habitat

These unusual worms can live in most freshwater and saltwater environments, including lakes, rivers, ponds, canals, and other associated water bodies. Land-dwelling species are commonly found in or on the soil, under logs, or hiding in plants in humid areas.

Appearance

Learning more about your enemy’s face before engaging with them is essential. Distinguishing them is relatively easy because their appearance is more conspicuous than that of other fish tank parasites, such as hydra or detritus worms.

Planaria are flatworms characterized by a triangular-shaped head. There is a pair of eyes that seem like two tiny spots (also known as ocelli), which are sensitive to light, while other species have a few eye-spots. Their eyes’ role as photoreceptors can help them move away from the light sources.

On the left and right head sections, there are two auricles (lobus) that extend from every side and contain very sensitive cells. This part can help them find the food. When the meal is located, they will begin to eat it using the protrusion of the muscular pharynx.

The food is pumped into their stomach through the rhythmic contraction of their muscular pharynx. This process resembles a siphon-like action.

These worms are unique; they lack lungs and circulatory systems. Additionally, planaria are animals with an acoelomate body, meaning they lack an internal cavity to contain their organs. Instead of the anus, they have flame cells that function to remove waste. So, if you try to stretch out their body, they might not reach an inch in length.

For your information, they consist of 3 germ layers: endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm. Planaria also have one anterior branch and two posterior branches.

These aquarium pests can move from one place to another by beating their cilia on the ventral vernis. It supports these creatures to slide along on a layer of mucus. On the contrary, some specimens utilize contractions of their muscles built into the body membrane, which creates an undulation effect on the whole body, causing them to move to other areas.

Their size is tiny, generally between 0.1 to 0.6 inches. Planarians vary in color, ranging from brown to white, grey, or pinkish, depending on their diet.

Types Of Planarian Flatworms That Are Commonly Seen In Aquariums

However, there are many types of these worms that live on Earth. In fact, only two types are often found in planted tanks. That is black and brown planaria (dugesia) and white planaria (procotyla).

A truth that often leads to their permanent ban by many fish tank keepers is that they are carnivorous. They are consuming dead or live animals attached to their bodies and suffering them. And if the owner does not treat them immediately, their chances of survival are slim to none.

Well, there is no difference between these two types of planaria for the aquarists.

On the other hand, these worms are frequently seen gliding on the wall glass rather than settling in the substrate, unlike other fish tank bugs, such as scuds.

Dugesia 

They are brown and black planarian worms. Dugesia is not particularly dangerous to fish; their primary diet consists of detritus, such as leftover food, feces, and biofilms.

Suppose you found these flatworms in your aquarium; that indicates poor tank husbandry. And if you leave your tank to become dirtier, its numbers potentially might reach more than a hundred or even thousands.

Although they cannot cause damage, dugesia worms can glide into a fish’s gills or other sensitive organs. It can cause your fish to become stressed, weakening their immune system and making them vulnerable to illness.

However, they will lead to a disaster if you keep some shrimps in your tank setup. Dugesia can release a toxin that can poison invertebrates. If a single worm creeps inside a shrimp’s carapace, the toxins can be stored in the shrimp’s tissues and subsequently cause a severe problem.

Procotyla

This flatworm is described as a white planarian. Procotyla is absolutely a predator, hunting daphnia, crustacea, other small worms, and even other planaria.

This worm will strike any tiny organisms it can reach, such as shrimp larvae, fish fry, shrimp eggs, and fish eggs, or even adult shrimp.

The white planarian tends to happen in a smaller population than dugesia, but the infliction of their damage can break most of your peaceful shrimps.

Planaria Flatworms Reproduction

According to many sources on the internet, these worms can produce themselves in two ways, sexual and asexual, or are usually called hermaphrodites.

The sexual method occurs when two planarians mate and fertilize each other’s eggs (each planarian possesses both ovaries and testes). Eggs develop inside their bodies, then are shed in a capsule or cocoon.

Their eggs split into two types, depending on the temperature: winter eggs (black in color) and summer eggs (translucent and thin-shelled).

Summer eggs require a couple of weeks to hatch, which is shorter than the incubation period for other eggs. In nature, winter egg incubation periods can occur throughout this season. Once they are hatched, the embryo has an appearance similar to the mature version.

In hermaphrodites, planarians generate themselves by detaching their tail ends. After that, each half will regrow the missing parts through regeneration, allowing the adult stem cells (endoblasts) to split and differentiate, and then emerge as two planarian worms.

Planaria worms are renowned as one of the most resilient creatures in the world. Based on scientific research, these creatures require 1/279 parts of their body to restore their whole body. And finally, it only needs two weeks to regenerate everything.

What Causes Planaria Flatworms To Arise Inside an Aquarium?

Actually, many ways can make these little worms present inside your beloved living tank, and here is:

• The first is overfeeding, which remains the primary cause of most aquarium problems; planarians also result from this issue.
• When introducing new plants, equipment, water from the fish bag, snails, shrimps, crabs, live foods, stones, driftwood, fish, substrate, or other decorations from other sources, be aware that these pests may contaminate them. They may ride on it and reproduce themselves rapidly, spreading to all corners of your tank.
• And the last is not systematic maintenance. This point is often overlooked, but it should not be underestimated. It can create an imbalance inside the aquarium, making it more susceptible to issues, including the presence of these worms.

Are Planaria Flatworms Harmful To Your Pets?

As mentioned above, these flatworms can harm your aquarium pets, primarily the smallest and weakest animals, such as shrimp and snail babies, as well as their eggs. Even more, the mature species can not escape them if the food sources are limited.

Their infestation certainly does not result in immediate mass destruction of the entire stock. This is similar to the fact that the younger generation only had a limited chance to reach maturity, while the older ones will age, and in the end, the population declines over time.

Indeed, fish are not threatened by their presence, and a few species are beneficial in controlling the planarian population.

The omnivorous fish will prey on these flatworms, becoming their natural predators inside the aquarium and helping to control their numbers.

Although the fish fries and eggs are probably not fully secure from the planaria, they could be chased quietly and unnoticed by the parents.

What Can Planarian Flatworms Injure In The Aquarium Plants?

Unlike other plagues, such as the ramshorn snail outbreak, it can both destroy vegetation and impact water quality. As mentioned before, if they are pure carnivores.

Therefore, the aquatic plants are not listed as a target, meaning the planarian would not eat your plants. Don’t worry about that, even if these nuisance animals invade your planted tank.

How To Get Rid Of The Planarian Flatworms In My Aquarium

Simply, you can remove them manually, but are you willing to pick them out from the fish tank one by one all day? That is really a waste of your time; even if their population decreases, their numbers are back several days later.

So, in this chapter, we will discuss two methods of remedies against the planarian that are used by most aquarists; let’s read:

Planarian Traps Method

Obviously, you can easily find this product on the internet by typing ‘Planarian Traps‘, and the result will appear. We recommend purchasing this product on Amazon or at your local aquarium store.

However, it would be better if you made this one; it doesn’t require much money or time to make. Here are the steps:

• Prepare a 500 ml plastic bottle or any size that fits your tank.
• Seize a needle, then create several tiny holes on the bottom side. You can poke as much as you want, but ideally, four or five holes are enough.
• Add 2 or 3 different types of food in small portions into the bottle. They prefer shrimp meat or fish flakes. Ensure that you do not put too much in; it can cause the ammonia to explode.
• Close the bottle cap and squeeze it to release the air while submerging it in the water in an upside-down position. Let the water completely replace the air to prevent it from floating.
• Press the bottle softly until the bottom part slightly enters a tiny amount of substrate. Then, leave it in this position for 2-12 hours.
• Repeat this process daily until you feel satisfied and do not catch anything.
• Ideally, you need to cycle that about 3-4 times.
• Clean the bottle thoroughly and save it for the next time you get a similar problem.
• After 2-3 weeks, perform this process to eliminate the planaria hatched from the eggs. It aims to prevent a second invasion.

Essentially, this bottle’s function is very similar to that of a conventional planaria trap. Another alternative trap is using a gauze bag. Put a fish flake, beef meat, squid cutlet, etc., inside the bag. Locate this bag at the substrate around the plants for one night. Switch off the aquarium lamp to attract more worms. When the morning comes, please take out the bag carefully (without turning on the light), then place it in boiling water.

Chemical Products Treatment

Fighting planaria in this way is suitable for moderate to high outbreak levels. Many famous products that were chosen by hobbyists a long time ago, and below is the list:

SOBAKEN Genchem No-Planaria

No-Planaria is one of the most famous planaria killers’ medicines. It is made from betel nut palm extract, which means it is an herbal treatment, making it safe for plants and shrimps. Be aware that it may harm or even kill your snails. Always read the procedure carefully.

How to use this natural medicine:

• Move all snails to a separate tank, and quarantine them in there in order to kill planarian worms or their eggs that cling to them.
• Detach the carbon media in the filter system to raise the effectiveness.
• Install an air pump to increase the oxygen level.
• Add one spoon of this medicine to 13 gallons (50 liters) of water on the first day.
• On the second day, cut off the dose to 1/2 a spoon. And the third day, reduce the amount again to 1/4 spoon.
• Perform a 40-50% water change on day 4.
• Apply the carbon media to its place back.
• Perform a 20% water change after 7 days.
• Once these pests are dead, use a siphoning kit or a tablespoon to remove them from the tank, preventing the ammonia level from rising.
• Use a test kit to monitor the water parameters. If there is an imbalance, fix it.
• You may perform this series of treatments 2-3 weeks later to eradicate the worms that hatched from the eggs.
• It probably needs a little time for the planarian to die.
• You should not feed your shrimp during the first few days of treatment. This aims to prevent further contamination.

Benibachi Planaria Zero

This dewormer or worm killer also contains betel nut extract as its primary ingredient. The ‘Planaria Zero’ can also be used to conquer other aquarium parasites, such as hydra.

• Like the previous product, the first step is moving the snails to the quarantine tank.
• Remove the carbon media from the filter.
• Apply an air pump to gain the O2 content.
• On the first day, add two spoons or a 1 g dose for 13 gallons (50 liters) of water. Use the same dose for the second day. On the third day, minimize the dose to 0.5 g or one spoon for a 13-gallon / 50-liter water tank.
• Reduce the aquarium water by approximately 20% and return the carbon media to its original place.
• If you still find some planarian left, give one spoon of ‘Planaria Zero’ for 50 liters of water every ten days.
• Perform another water change in approximately 11 days, reducing the water level by approximately 20%.
• Remove the dead planarian flatworms from the aquarium immediately to prevent contamination of the water quality.
• Use the water test kit to check the quality.
• You may want to consider administering this medication after 2-3 weeks to kill any new flatworms that hatch from the remaining eggs in the aquarium.
• It is suggested to refrain from feeding your pets during the first three days to boost the success chance and avoid further contamination.

Panacur C Canin Dewormer (Fenbendazole)

The Panacur is actually produced for aquarium use. Therefore, it’s challenging to find an accurate dose rate on the internet because the information provided is often based on assumptions made by individuals fighting these flatworms in their aquariums.

However, we summarized information from some aquarists’ experiences that successfully countered these worms using this cure.

• Moving your snails into the quarantine tank.
• Adding two to four mg of Panacur per 1 gallon.
• Perform a water change of approximately 30-50% after seven days.
• Scoop out the dead planarian to maintain a stable tank environment.
• After three weeks, repeat this treatment to kill any worms that may have survived the initial treatment.

Many aquarium keepers give positive reviews to Panacur, which helps them resolve their problems. This worm killer is available in two types: liquid and pill.

If you bought a pill form, it might be difficult to dissolve well in water. The solution is to take a test tube or bottle, place it on there, crush the dose of Panacur, and mix it with some aquarium water. After that, shake this mixture, and it is ready to use as mentioned before.

Canine Dewormer Safe-Guard

Similar to Panacur, this product is not specifically designed for aquarium use, but rather for veterinary purposes in dogs. Canine Dewormer contains a material that can treat intestinal parasites, commonly known as Fenbendazole.

This dog dewormer is effective and receives many positive reviews from aquarists because it has been proven to effectively eliminate planaria flatworms within their freshwater aquariums. How to use it:

• Move all snails into a separate tank.
• Use 0.1 g per 10 gallons of water (approximately 45 liters) and wait for 48 to 72 hours.
• Add 0.1 g for 10 gallons of water, then leave for 48-72 hours.
• If there are any planaria still alive, administer a dose as before.
• After you see that planarians are dead, take them out of the aquarium.
• The next day, perform a water change of around 20%
• Do a 20% water change again.
• Perform a 20% water change again.
• After two to three weeks, repeat this medication to remove new worms that hatched from the surviving eggs.

How To Prevent Planaria Flatworms From Invading Your Aquarium

In order to keep your tank away from this plague, you should follow the steps below:

• The first step is to keep some predator fish that can control the planarian population, such as betta, mollies, guppies, zebra loaches, platies, angelfish, tiger barbs, SAE, goldfish, springer damsel, red-spotted gobies, dwarf gouramis, pea puffers, and more.
• Give sufficient food. Always keep in mind to never overfeed your inhabitants. The accumulation of leftover food can result in a tragic outcome.
• Clean your aquarium systematically and periodically.
• Always quarantine anything before adding it to the tank from other sources. If you decide to use soil, gravel, or sand from the garden, you should clean, wash up, and boil it. This rule should also be applied to any decorations taken from nature.
• Lastly, ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly before handling any items associated with your aquarium.